With Payton out, 3 candidates vie for Commission District 2 seat

Friday

Oct 29, 2010 at 11:28 AMOct 29, 2010 at 11:08 PM

Whomever wins on Nov. 2 will succeed Commissioner Jim Payton, who opted against seeking a third term.

By Bill ThompsonStaff writer

The last time a Democrat held the Marion County Commission District 2 seat, the Soviet nuclear reactor at Chernobyl had a meltdown, first baseman Bill Buckner extended the agony of Boston Red Sox fans by misplaying a routine ground ball, and Oliver North and Fawn Hall were shredding documents.

Republican Kathy Bryant hopes to keep the GOP's streak alive, although Democrat Ken Nadeau wants to go retro. Meanwhile, Doug Shearer of the Florida Whig Party seeks to play spoiler.

Whomever wins on Nov. 2 will succeed Commissioner Jim Payton, who opted against seeking a third term.

Bryant offers herself as the “common sense conservative” who seeks to put the community back on its feet economically.

She supports the commission's decision from earlier this year to suspend the collection of transportation impact fees for new commercial projects and, if elected, would vote to continue that moratorium as long as taxpayers were not unduly burdened.

She also favors cutting regulations on new businesses, backs the “buy local” program adopted by county government, and diversifying the local economy.

Bryant also wants to reduce county spending, with the possible exception safety expenditures for public safety and infrastructure. And Bryant indicates she will oppose any plan to increase property taxes and will hold the line on water and sewer rates.

She, the only homegrown candidate for County Commission in 2010, would continue the commission's previous hard-line stances in protecting the local water supply as a way to protect the community's quality of life.

Nadeau is likewise focusing on jobs and economic development. He said that can be accomplished by creating “business incubation” programs that reduce barriers for people who want to start their own businesses.

Nadeau also advocates the creation of a micro-loan program, funded by property tax dollars paid by banks, that would make smaller, targeted loans to new start-up companies.

He would also offer temporary property tax discounts to landowners who could convert their empty commercial property for use by such businesses, streamline the permit approval process for new or expanding businesses, and push a temporary reduction in fees or property taxes for those businesses that do want to grow.

Nadeau also believes county government and the Ocala-Marion County Economic Development Corp., or EDC, the county's primary business recruiter, and the Chamber of Commerce need to think bigger in recruiting new businesses by appealing to foreign companies with American outlets.

He also would encourage developers to put new projects close to existing population centers and would reject any new residential project that does not include an accompanying commitment of jobs.

Shearer, who had been a lifelong Republican until going with the Whigs, seeks primarily to influence the county's growth policies.

Having a better handle on growth, he maintains, will help protect and preserve the county's primary natural resource: its water.

As an anti-sprawl activist and member of the county, he is frustrated that the County Commission routinely disregards the input of planning advisers.

He promotes rethinking the county's growth strategy, not destroying it. He objects to stand-alone housing subdivisions and recommends mixing residential and commercial components at the same site to concentrate development.

Shearer also advocates expanding the county's centralized water and sewer system where feasible.

Shearer concedes he flocked to the Whigs out of frustration with the GOP, and feels that his status as a third-party candidate frees him of any obligation he might have to the major ones.